1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to pneumatic tires and more specifically to aircraft tires, and even more specifically to aircraft tires with chines.
2. Description of the Related Art
Pneumatic aircraft tires not only support the weight of aircraft on the ground but also can affect an aircraft's performance during takeoffs and landings. Often an aircraft must land or takeoff on a runway that is covered with puddles of water. Because the aircraft's performance may be affected by splash generated by the tires, it is desirable that any splash generated by the tire on the runway surface be directed away from the aircraft.
Tire designers have long been aware of the advantages of directing splash from automotive and aircraft tires. For example, French Patent Nos. 566,723 and 722,116 and Danish Patent No. 32,107 disclose automobile tires with splash guards In the aircraft tire field, U.S. Pat. No. 3,204,681 to Olagnier et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,356,985 to Yeager et al. disclose aircraft tires featuring chines in the sidewall designed to deflect splash outwardly and away from the aircraft. Olagnier et al. discloses a generally triangular shaped chine whose width is between 1/20 and 1/6 of the tire's section width. Yeager et al. discloses a tire with a chine on each sidewall of the tire and a tread pattern designed to move water from the footprint to the chine.
In the past, on some aircraft and under some conditions, the chines of the prior art proved to be too flexible and deformed while directing the water splash.